


Zen's Art Online

by Cyberweasel89



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Action, Adventure, Aincrad, Angst, Character Development, Disabled Character, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Healing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Heavy Angst, Original Character(s), POV First Person, POV Male Character, Paralysis, Quadriplegia, Quadriplegic, Romance, Slow Burn, Trust Issues, cripple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-23 08:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8321224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyberweasel89/pseuds/Cyberweasel89
Summary: Sword Art Online seemed like the perfect escape for a young man named Zen Karafuta from his permanent hospital bed. Little did he know he'd be going from one cage to another cage. Stuck in a death game, Zen must walk the valley of death using his wits and cunning. Knowing anyone in this game could kill you certainly doesn't help your trust issues, but at least your virtual self can walk.





	1. Another Cage

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Zen's Art Online](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/235189) by Personauser93. 



> This is an officially-sanctioned rewrite of "Zen's Art Online" by Personauser93 on Fanfiction.net.
> 
> What drew me to this story was the fact that Zen is not a perfect protagonist and he never steals the show from Kirito. He may help on occasion, but it's still Kirito who has the spotlight and saves the day. Zen is the protagonist, but not the hero, and his methods are decidedly different from Kirito's. Zen values strategy and knowledge over powering his way through things. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself and doesn't trust people due to his past. However, he ends up getting thrust upon people regardless, and it's through seeing those people that Zen grows as a person. Zen learns lessons from the people in his life, but never really stops being a flawed person. That's really what drew me to ask Personauser to rewrite his fanfic for him.
> 
> For those of you hoping for that Zen/Leafa romance soon... Get comfortable.
> 
> Please support Personauser93 on Fanfiction.net for giving me permission to re-imagine his work.

_"In my country, freedom is a little way from a cage to another cage."_ ~ Choumey Mouchka

* * *

My name is Karafuta Zen. I’m an official beta tester for Sword Art Online. The game was my only escape from reality and they took it from me. Only temporarily, but it was gone. The official game is coming out today, so I won’t have to wait long. I would go get it myself, but... I can’t.  
  
I guess I should explain. I’m in a hospital right now. I’m lying on a bed, but I can’t really feel it. Where my arms and legs lay, I feel only a void, something nonexistent. Heh. Well, they exist, but only for the sole purpose of reminding me of what I’ve lost. It’s funny how most people take their most basic of tools for granted until they lose them.  
  
I am a quadriplegic. The doctors say it’ll be a miracle if I can ever walk again. Let’s just say I’m not holding out hope. After all, this isn’t a Disney movie.  
  
Sword Art Online is a VRMMO game, or Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online game. I’m free there, to the point it feels like more of a home than the real world. I don’t need arms or legs to use it, just the one thing I hadn’t lost yet; my mind. It’s like it was made for me. I can walk, run, jump, explore, make friends, and even have a life. I have freedom. It’s worlds better than what I have now. In a hospital bed I can’t feed myself, can’t go to the bathroom, and I certainly can’t defend myself.  
  
The only thing that really keeps me tied to the real world is my family. My mother and little sister visit every day. I haven’t seen my father in months. He’s given up on me. I guess we have that in common. Unlike me and pops, my mom and sister still have hope for me. I almost feel bad for them for that. Still, at least they give me a reason to logout of SAO besides meal times.  
  
The door to my room opens and in walks one of the nurses. They usually come every fifteen to thirty minutes to check on me though I had them remove all the clocks, so I can’t really keep track. After lying on a bed for hours on end, the sound of the ticking tends to drown out your thoughts and drive you mad after a while. Time passes much more slowly when you don’t have much to do besides check it. Only reason I know the passing of time is what meal they bring me. This nurse is carrying sandwiches, so I have to assume it’s lunchtime.  
  
“It’s lunch time, Zen.” I was right. She said it in such a happy tone, too. I know she’s trying to help lift my mood, but why do nurses always try to be really chipper when it’s clear their patient is miserable? Don’t they realize how annoying that is? “You feeling any better?”  
  
It’s obvious I’m not, but I don’t answer. Compared to SAO, this isn’t the real world to me anymore, so I decided to save my voice for SAO. The only thing I really react to is my sister, Rei. Ugh, and if life wasn’t bad enough, the sandwiches the nurse is feeding me have avocados. I hate that stuff. I don’t say anything, though. I just silently eat what she feeds me until she leaves.  
  
Once she’s gone, I’m back to my own thoughts. Hours seem to pass by. Funny how nothing in the room seems to move, just like its occupant. I spoke too soon, though. The door opens and while I expect another nurse, it’s my sister, Rei. She’s young, around eleven, and still wearing her middle school uniform. Her hair is just as black as mine, but she grows hers down to her waist in straight cascades, while I keep mine short. It’s just easier to have short hair when you can’t brush it out of your eyes without pressing the call button. Reaching into her school bag, she gives me a bright smile and pulls out a copy of Sword Art Online. Looking from her shining gray eyes to the game, I give my first smile of the day. Mom always did say my smile was the brightest thing in her life, but I don’t see how it compares to Rei’s.  
  
My smile is the only hint that Rei gets that I’m pleased and want to play. She puts on my NerveGear for me and gives me a wave as I say the words that will take me into my first trip through the official retail version of Sword Art Online: “Link Start.”  
  
The world washes away with the color white, almost a literal whitewash. It’s soon replaced with a myriad of colors as they begin to make up my true home. Soon, I’m met with readouts and specs.  
  
**Touch OK  
** **Sight OK**  
 **Hearing OK**  
 **Taste OK**  
 **Smelling OK**  
  
The settings form a line. Seems I’m connected fine. I move to the next screen.  
  
Language. Japanese, of course. Next is the login screen. As a beta tester, I already have an account, so I just put in my name and password.  
  
**Zen (M), correct?  
** Yes  
No  
  
I used my real name for my username. I saw no reason not to. No one in SAO will likely know me in real life and this game is my new real life, so why go by a different name? I guess the M stands for male. I choose Yes.  
  
Another rush of color and I’m in. As my feet touch the ground, I find I’m in a town with a paved road. Ahead of me is a hedge that splits the path two ways. My avatar is taller than my real body, with snow white hair. As I flex my hand, enjoying the feeling of the breeze on it, I let out a huge grin. I’m home. As I give a hop, I wonder what reason I would ever have to leave.  
  
Turning to the other people logging in for the first time, I smile and give them a wave. “Hello, family!” They mostly just give me odd looks, but I really don’t care. Nothing can ruin this moment for me.  
  
I walk around, looking at the market stalls with NPCs selling wares. Looks like I’m on the first floor, the Town of Beginnings, and a freshly-started Level 1, just to level the playing field with the players who weren’t beta testers. I still got to import my beta username and avatar, though. Players are everywhere, a stark contrast to the beta. The official launch would have about ten thousand players and I figure any not in town are out killing their first mob. I figure I better get started on Leveling, myself.  
  
I run through the crowds, bumping into a few other players. I pay them little mind aside from a quick sorry. It just feels great to actually run, the wind blowing through my hair. I did it plenty in the beta but after being stuck in a bed while waiting for the official release, I missed it. Even the feeling of bumping into people is a welcome change from the real world.  
  
When I reach the field just outside town, I take a moment to drink in the expanse of grass and blooming flowers. I don’t spend long chewing the scenery though, because I already see some boars I can fight. Frenzy Boars, the weakest monsters in the game. Pulling up my menu, I see I have entirely basic starting equipment. Hey, gotta start somewhere. Compared to a hospital bed being fed by nurses, this is a great start.  
  
I unsheathe my sword and ready my stance for the Pre-Motion of a Sword Skill, my sword by my hips, facing my back. The system recognizes the motion, my sword glowing with a faint purple aura. The system largely takes over from there and I run forward, stabbing my sword into the boar’s side, a gash of data code-like blood appearing. After I pass, I enter the quick Post-Motion. The health bar above the boar’s head is half-empty and it takes the brief Post-Motion to turn around and charge at me in revenge.  
  
Recovering, I grip the sword in my hand and point it at the ground, setting the Pre-Motion for another Sword Skill. As the boar runs, I slash upwards, its charge adding enough momentum to let my strike completely cleave it in two.  
  
My first enemy defeated, I continue to fight boars for a good hour until I level up. I check my stats and see my HP has gone up and it seems that from using my Small Sword, I’ve gained points in my One-Handed Straight Swords Skill. By default, a Level 1 has two Skill Slots, pre-filled with one weapon and one armor Skill of the player's choice at character creation. They can always be replaced with others if you find you don't like them and you get new Skill Slots at certain Levels. I decide I’ll stick with One-Handed Straight Swords and Light Metal Equipment for now, since that’s what I used in the Beta. I’ve only fought Frenzy Boars so far. I have no clue what other players or mob I might run into, so best play it smart for now and stick to what's familiar. Every Level up also gets you three Stat Points that you can put into Strength and Agility. I put two in AGL and one in STR for now. I continue to grind on boars for a good two or three hours but make sure not to fight more than two at once. Fighting two usually causes the second to land a blow or two on me. After finally hitting Level 3, I put my next set of three Stat Points into STR and AGL to even them out with three, each. I figure I should log out for a bit, just to see how I feel between sessions of the official release. Pulling up my interface, I go for the setting button, but...  
  
“What’s this?” I exclaim in disbelief. “Where’s the logout button?”  
  
I check all the other menus. It’s nowhere to be found. Is it an error? I figure maybe they’ll fix it soon, but then I feel my body decode itself in a forced teleport. When I recode, I see I’m in the main plaza of the Town of Beginnings,along with what’s likely most, if not all, the players of the game. The bell tower in the center of town is ringing and I can see that most of the other players are just as confused as I am.  
  
“Do you know what’s happening?” One of the players nearby asks me.  
  
“No, sorry,” I tell him.  
  
Those questions float around the crowd a lot, to the point they lose their meaning and become as light and fluffy as the air itself. Seems no one knows what’s going on. Finally, I hear someone near by shout and point. “Look up there!”  
  
I direct my gaze upward with the crowd to see a flashing red data panel in the air displaying the word ‘WARNING.’ It begins multiplying with more warnings and system errors, filling the sky above us and surrounding the town like a giant dome. Red liquid begins to ooze from the cracks in between the warning panels, forming a man in a cloak that hides his face. At first I thought it was a welcoming event, but... this is just too ominous for one.  
  
“Attention, players. I welcome you to my world,” the cloaked figure begins. “My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am in control of this world.”  
  
The crowd starts chittering, wondering what he’s talking about.  
  
“I am sure most of you have noticed that you’re all missing an option in your main menu. The logout button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO and no one from outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life.”  
  
The chittering becomes a mix of shouting, screaming, and crying. I just stare at him, my teeth clenched, wondering what this is about. After all, I have no reason to want to leave, do I? Except Rei, anyway.  
  
“Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear. An unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They’ve been deleted from both Aincrad _and_ the real world.”  
  
He brings up news reports in screens floating around him, reporting deaths from Sword Art Online players. Holy... this guy is serious about all this. There’s no way out of this game without death.  
  
“As you can see, international media outlets have ‘round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it’s safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game.”  
  
I feel my fist clench looking at one of the screens. It depicts a mother comforting her crying daughter. I can't help thinking about Rei...  
  
“It’s important you remember the following.” The screens floating around him begin to disappear. “There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system forever and the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain.”  
  
Most of the crowd is too stunned to speak now. I admit, I feel a little nervous, even if I don’t actually want to leave the game...  
  
“There is only one way for a player to escape, now... You must clear the game. Right now, you’re gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor one hundred and you will clear the game.”  
  
Great... this is now a death game. As the realization begins to sink in, it dawns on me that what was supposed to be my sweet escape is going to become a fight for my very life. It seems I never really can have anything fall in my favor. Even my very freedom comes at a price. I simply went from one cage to a completely different cage.  
  
“Last but not least,” the cloaked figure, Kayaba, continues. “I’ve placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look.”  
  
I pull up my menu and take a look at my inventory. A hand mirror? What’s a mirror supposed to do? A warp function? I pull out the small, rectangular mirror and my question is swiftly answered when I, along with every other player, am swallowed by light. When the light dies down, I see that everyone has changed. Gazing into the mirror is my normal self, without the white hair and increased height I had done for my avatar. I was lucky my quadriplegia didn’t come with it. Most drop their mirrors in fright as the gravity of the situation fully sinks in for them. Others destroy their mirror in anger. I just put mine back in my inventory.  
  
“Right now, you’re probably wondering why. Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this.” He’s got that right. “Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players... **I wish you the best of luck**.”

The cloaked man seems to dissolve into himself, disappearing along with the warning signs in the sky. The entire square is silent, the air tense. I can tell the entire crowd is about to go crazy. Mass hysteria. I have to control myself. Can’t panic.

A single scream is what sets the crowd in motion. I have to move. If I stay calm, I can weave my way between the crowds instead of pushing my way through in a rush. I have no time for stumbling and forcing my way.

Through all the bumping and grabbing, I manage to emerge onto the city streets. Gotta think. Gotta stay calm. All the newbie players are going to pick the surrounding mobs clean now and bog down all the nearby Quests with heavy traffic. If I can make it to the next town over, I can get some fresh kills and Quests and work on Leveling so I can survive. This is my home now, but not like I wanted. I need to focus on survival.

I make my way to the western fields, repeating to myself ‘I need to Level I need to Level’ over and over in my head like a mantra to keep myself from going mad. Ahead of me is one of the Frenzy Boars. Ugh, I’ve fought too many of those things already. I don’t have time for this! Gripping my sword, I ready a Sword Skill and dash right through it, easily defeating the weakest enemy of the game in one hit. As it bursts into data behind me, I have no time to ponder whether that was an achievement or not. I just keep running, not even stopping to look behind me.

When I get out of breath, I stop running to bend over and grab my knees. I look over my shoulder to see that the City of Beginnings is little more than a large structure in the distance. Turning, I see that there are other players around, grinding as well. These people… they have the best chance to beat this game.


	2. Valley of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say you don't have to watch your back when someone else always has it. But when your back is always against a hospital bed, you don't really have one to watch. In a game of death, everyone you meet will either die or betray you. Best to go alone and not have to rely on others. Best to never see a friend die or have one betray you. From now on, he will walk on his own in the valley of death... and he will fear no evil.

_ "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." _

-Psalm 23:4

* * *

December 3nd, 2022, 17:30

A month has passed since the Sword Art Online retail version became a death game. People have finally calmed down and accepted it. I’ve been grinding against mobs and completing any Quest I can find since then. Right now, I’m Level Eleven. I’ve chosen One-Handed Straight Swords and Light Metal Equipment for my two Skill Slots and I’ve splurged my Cor on a better one-handed straight sword and some light letal armor from NPC stores. I even had my sword and armor enhanced to +4 by an NPC blacksmith. My Iron Sword I enhanced by +1 Sharpness, +2 Quickness, and +1 Accuracy. My Iron Chainmail I enhanced to +3 Durability and +1 Heaviness. I gained a third Skill Slot when I reached Level 6, but I’m saving it for when I know what I’m going to use it for.

Still, though... out of ten thousand people who entered this death game, two thousand have died. I can’t relax and I’m not even comfortable forming a Party with anyone. Have to keep my Levels up, play it smart, try not to get too close to people. Not yet, anyway.

Thing is, despite a month passing, while Floor One has been nearly fully explored, no one’s managed to clear it. While I do think I’m in a confident position right now, more people than I expected have since risen up from the depths of despair and now have Levels equal to mine. I can take out most of the Floor 1 mob in one hit now but we still haven’t found where the boss is. Its lair changed location from the closed beta. Someone apparently published a guidebook for the game based on beta information and it’s being handed out for free in all NPC stores. I picked up a copy, just out of curiosity. While I’m not sure I want to leave this game, I do definitely want to survive.

Someone is calling a meeting at the amphitheater in Tolbana, the closest town to the First Floor Labyrinth. Something about forming a team to beat the Floor One boss, capable players only. I like to think I’m pretty capable and I think I’d like to get to the second floor again like in the beta. I figure I’ll attend.

When I get to the amphitheater, everyone is sitting around the stone step-like seats, looking almost like a tiny coliseum. I take a seat in the back near the top of the stands, waiting for the guy with blue hair standing down below to begin. He claps twice to get our attention.

“Okay, people!” Blue hair begins. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get this meeting started! First, I want to thank everyone for coming. Good to see you. My name is Diavel and in this game...” He taps himself on his breastplate with his fist. “The job I rolled is knight!”

The crowd erupts in laughter. “Dude, there’s no job system in this game!” One calls down to our fearless leader, amid other amused murmurs.

“You guys wanna hear this, or not?” Diavel continues, motioning to the crowd to quiet down. Once they settle down, the blue-haired knight’s face turns serious. “Right. Anyway, here’s the deal. Our Party found the boss room at the top of the tower today.”

The crowd responds in surprise and shock. Even I have to note, that’s not where it was in the beta.

“First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to Floor 2,” Diavel continues. “The next step is we have to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it  _ is _ possible to beat this game!” He clenches his fist in determination. Possibly for dramatic effect. “Fact is, it’s our duty as the most capable players here!” His eyes sweep the crowd. This guy seems like a pretty good orator. Maybe he took public speaking classes? “Do you agree or not?”

The players around give various nods and murmurs of agreement to each other. I keep trying to size the guy up. Whether he’s genuine or not, the crowd seems to like what they’re hearing. One starts clapping and the others soon join in, with one guy even giving a wolf whistle that even  _ I _ can’t help smirking over.

“Okay! Glad to hear you’re all with me on this. Now, let’s figure out  _ how _ we’re gonna beat the boss.” Diavel reaches his arms out at the crowd like he’s inviting them in for a hug. I swear, this guy’s good. “First off, we’ll team up into Parties of six.” My smirk falls.

“A typical Party doesn’t stand a chance against a Floor Boss. We need a raid crew made up of multiple Parties.” As Diavel continues to explain his plan, I groan and take a look at the other groups. They're all already gravitating into Parties. Ugh, I haven’t really been trying to make friends in this game. Do I have to Party with some total strangers now? This is like those moments in school when the teacher tells everyone to form groups and you realize you don't have any friends.  


By the time people have already been setting up official Party invites, I look to see there’s three other stragglers. Probably Solo Players like me. Some guy in blue with shaggy black hair and a One-Handed Straight Sword that looks pretty powerful and rare, a girl in a red hooded cloak with what looks like a rapier, and a guy with white hair who keeps gazing around like he doesn’t know what’s going on. The white-haired guy has a spear on his back that looks like a piece of starting equipment you can buy off an NPC merchant in the Town of Beginnings. Already the blue swordsman is scooting over to the hooded cloak girl but the albino spearman still doesn’t seem to know what’s going on.

As much as this is gonna be a pain, I don’t think I should draw attention to myself by not forming a Party. If I wanna survive in this death game, I can’t paint a target on my back. Blue swordsman is already pressing the button to form a party with the hooded girl. Getting up and running my hand through my black, shortly-cropped mane, I walk over to the two. I adjust the sword at my hip just to make sure they can see I have some good equipment and thus a reason to accept me. Shallow, I know, but I can’t take any chances on first impressions.

Both look up as I approach, though the hooded girl doesn’t seem as interested. “Sup?” I greet. Really? Did I really just say sup?

“Hey.” Blue swordsman replies. “You came here alone, too?”

Sighing, I nod. “Mind if I tag along? Don’t wanna break any rules on this raid crew.”

Blue swordsman nods, pulling up his interface and sending me an invite. I accept and I immediately see two names with health bars appear under mine. Kirito and Asuna. No doubt they can see that I’m Zen. Turning to the albino spearman still sitting alone and gazing around like a cat looking for a fly to swat at, I give a quick tweet of a whistle to get his attention. He turns, quirking an eyebrow at me. He doesn’t get up, so I wave him over.

Getting a better look at him, he’s wearing leather armor that looks like it was, much like his spear, looks like starting equipment. His white hair falls in front of his face, almost like curtains around his eyes, which are blue. I at first thought he’d dyed his hair white using the in-game methods, but looking at his eyes, I’m beginning to think he’s an albino. His eyes show a distinct lack of reaction, a small frown on his face. With his shaggy, uncombed hair and frayed leather armor, I actually can’t help comparing him to a scarecrow. That really plain and simple looking spear on his back almost gives the image of a scarecrow nailed to a post, furthering the image. Heh. Kind of an amusing thought, right there.

“So, you want to form a Party? No one else is left and we have space,” Kirito offers, giving the albino a friendly smile.

Scruffy lancer doesn’t seem like he fully understands but nods anyway. Kirito sends him an invite and the guy seems almost surprised when the invite accept button pops up. With a little hesitation, he hits accept. I see his name appear under Asuna’s in the list on my hud. Kakashi? Wow, that’s fitting, considering I just compared him to a scarecrow.

“All right! Looks like everyone’s teamed up!” Diavel continues. I take a quick seat on the opposite side of Kirito as Asuna, while Kakashi takes a seat on Asuna’s other side. He’s gazing just about anywhere but at the raid crew’s fearless leader. “Now, then-”

“Hold up a sec!” Someone was interrupting our noble blue knight?

I look up above me to see a new player has arrived, standing at the top of the steps. With a series of jumps, he hops down to stand a few feet next to Diavel. I get a good look at him now. Dark scale-patterned chestplate, strong-looking sword strapped to his back. He’s probably a pretty capable player, like everyone else here. His hair is a dark orange, arranged in a series of loose spikes on an otherwise cropped haircut. The goatee on his chin is dark orange, too. He thrusts at himself with his right thumb as he addresses the crowd.

“My name’s Kibaou, got that?” Yes, I got it. I just don’t really care. “Before we take on the boss, I wanna get something off my chest! We all know about the two thousand people who’ve died so far, yeah? Well some of you need to apologize to ‘em right now!” He thrusts his left index finger at the crowd for emphasis. For some reason, I can’t help noting he’s a lefty. Seems like an odd thing for anyone to take note of, let alone me. In response to his accusatory words the entire crowd descends into confused murmurs.

“Kibaou...” Diavel addresses the orange-hair, causing him to lower his hand and turn to look at the blue knight. “I think I know who you’re referring to. You mean the ones who are ex-beta testers, right?” He seems pretty calm about this.

“Of course I mean them!” Kibaou responds, turning to stare down Diavel. “The day this stupid-ass game started the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots  _ and _ they grabbed all the easy Quests, too!” He shrugged his arms for emphasis.

I don’t know what he’s talking about. I mean, yeah, I don’t know about the other beta testers, but I sure ran for the next town as fast as I could. It’s just that while Quests can only be completed once per player, every player can complete the same Quest any other player already completed if they want. Yeah, there’s a cooldown time before the Quest opens up again, but point is they’re repeatable by a different player. A few can only be completed by a single player and just the once, but those are usually top-tier Quests with epic rewards. I mean, I’m sure I’m not the only one who did the Heffers Strike Back Quest. That cream is pretty good on rolls.

“They were the only ones gettin’ stronger in here!” Kibaou continues, waving his hand dismissively. “This whole time they’ve ignored us like we’re nothin’!” He growls in anger before continuing. “Hell, I’ll bet there’s some of them here! Come on out, beta testers!” He points accusingly with his left hand. “We should make them apologize to us!” Now a point with his right hand. “And we should make them give up their money and the items they got!” He crosses his arms at this point. “They can’t expect the party to trust them when they don’t trust us. Why should we?”

Ugh. This guy is getting on my nerves. I’m tempted to shout no and reveal myself as a beta tester just to spite him, but I might as well hold up a giant sign saying ‘I’m beta than you, come at me bro!’

“Can I say somethin’?” A deep, pleasingly baritone voice speaks up from the crowd.

A guy in gray Light Metal Armor with a double-bladed axe strapped to his back raises his hand politely then pulls himself to his feet when the crowd turns to look at him. As he walks down to meet Kibaou, I can’t help noticing this guy is really tall. He nearly dwarves the orange hair he’s standing over and I know that, since avatar customizations were reverted by Kayaba Akihiko, that’s his natural height. Even mister loudmouth knows to be intimidated looking up at him. Judging from his bald head, the style of his raven beard, and his dark skin, I can’t help but think he looks like he’s of African descent. He speaks Japanese fluently, though.

“Hey. My names Agil. Kibaou, right? I wanna make sure I’m on the same page.” He introduces himself, acting quite cordial. I have to assume he knows his height and muscles are intimidating, so he tries to be friendlier than most. I can also tell he’s treating this situation seriously. “You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookies’ deaths because they didn’t help ‘em, and you want ‘em to apologize and give up their winnings. I leave anythin’ out?”

Kibaou, despite properly messing himself at the sight of the guy towering over him, manages to recover his wits and stand his ground like most fools too dumb to live. “No. You didn’t.”

Agil doesn’t respond. Instead he calmly opens up his inventory and pulls out a little brown book, holding it up for Kibaou to see. “The item store hands these out for free,” he explains. “It’s a guide book. You got one, didn’t you?”

“Sure I got one. So what about it?” Kibaou doesn’t seem to realize that, in most debates in history, the victor was usually the one who knew something the other party didn’t.

“You know who was handin’ these out?” Agil continues. He’s pretty calm about this. I’m actually impressed. “The ex-beta testers.” The crowd murmurs among themselves in response and I can’t help but smirk as Kibaou clenches his teeth.

Agil turns back around to face the crowd, holding up the brown guidebook for them to see. “Listen up. Everyone had equal access to this information.” He taps the cover with the back of his hand to emphasize his point. “Even so, lots of players still died. Now, I didn’t come here to point fingers at anyone. I came here because I wanna learn from those players’ deaths. I’m here because I wanna find out how we’re gonna beat the boss.”

I hear Kirito breathe a sigh of relief next to me. Huh... Curious. Down below, Agil turns towards his clearly defeated opponent, who merely gives the well-spoken big guy a growl and leaves to take his place in the stands with his tail between his legs. Remind me to see if I can get this Agil guy on my friend list. I don’t want him as an enemy, that’s for sure.

“Okay.” The drama over, Diavel continues, pulling out his own guidebook. “Can we get back to the meeting now?” Everyone nods in unanimous agreement. “For info on the boss, it’s all in here, the latest issue of the guide book you just heard about.” He holds up the guide book so everyone can see it. Our brave knight opens it and looks down at it as he speaks. “According to the book, the boss’s name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he’ll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars and when the last one turns red he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a talwar. He can change his patterns of attack, too.”

After giving the crowd some time to ruminate on this information, Diavel closes the book and turns it in his hand, looking back up at his loyal men. “That’s it for the briefing! As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the EXP.  _ And _ whoever gets an item... gets to keep it! Any objections?”

Various murmurs ring out. Seems everyone’s cool with this.

“Good! We leave two days from now at ten in the morning!” Diavel sweeps his arm across the crowd. “Meeting adjourned, people!”

I look down to see that Kibaou is apologizing to Diavel, who seems understanding about it. Asuna gets up to leave among our party first, with Kakashi again gazing about aimlessly. As Kirito gets up himself, I get a better look at the sword on his back. It looks like an Anneal Blade, the reward for completing the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest. Even  _ I _ couldn’t complete that one back in the beta because it relied on finding a random drop. This Kirito guy must be pretty good. Glad he’s on my side. Or, rather, in my Party.

* * *

December 3nd, 2022, 19:00

My gut is telling me to run out and grind on some more mob outside town for tomorrow but I figure I should relax for once. Some of the players in the raid crew are having a party at one of Tolbana’s taverns and going to a party at a bar certainly isn’t something I can do in the real world. Not without an electronic wheelchair.  


I nurse my drink and gaze out at my future raid crew over it. Most of them are content to drink what might be their last drink but a few of the other players want to spar. With the ‘Duel’ option, players can fight against other players without risk of actual damage. I’m hoping this will give me an idea of what I want to put in my third Skill Slot. Considering I'm observing them so much, Searching might be an option. Only three actually want to spar with me, though.

My first opponent is a big guy in his later 20s. A countdown for 60 seconds in the air ticks down and our respective HP guages appear above us. It reaches three, two, one. Go.

I’m the first to act. I believe you always have an advantage if you take initiative. Not just because you’re going on the offensive. There’s an intimidation value, too. He seems to have the right idea, but for a different reason. He moves in to try and end the duel in one blow with his two-handed straight sword. With my one-hander, I’m faster.

He goes for a downward swing to take my arm off but I sidestep out of the way and go for an upward cut at his chin. I have a reach disadvantage due to our height so I only deal a small cut. Normally I would be wide open right now, but his two handed straight sword is still stuck in the floor. I backstep as far as I can while he wrenches his weapon free.

I wait for him to move, but it seems he’s changed tactics. He’s studying me. Likely because he knows I had the advantage during that move, so I’m not to be trifled with. Wanting to take advantage of his hesitation before he works through it, I charge forward with a scream. He flinches at my sudden motion and loud noisemaking and I hit him on the hands with the flat end of my sword, making him drop his weapon. I hold my sword to his throat, knowing I have this one.

The guy smiles and holds up his hands, chuckling. “Hey, that was pretty good. Glad you’re on our side.”

I lower my sword and he reaches his hand out to shake. I use my free hand for that.

I fight the other two, studying their tactics. One uses a hammer and shield, another an axe. I think I’m starting to get a feel for what I want to do. After I defeat them, a few more want to come in and spar with me, but I notice that Kakashi is sitting at one of the tables, sipping from a mug.

“Hey, Kakashi.” He looks up at the sound of his name. I beckon him over with a flick of my head. Getting up, the spearman steps into the clearing we’ve made in the middle of the tavern, gazing at me with a confused expression.

“Wanna duel?” I ask him. He simply shrugs and nods. We set it up in the menu and he pulls his spear out.

As the countdown goes, he gazes at me with the same stoic expression I’ve always seen on his face. This time his mouth is closed tightly in concentration as he eyes me. I’m curious what he can do, considering his crummy equipment.

The clock hits go and I rush forward for the initiative. He hasn’t moved an inch and I find out why, as well as the advantages of having a reach weapon. As a spear longer than my sword thrusts out at me, I have to duck to the side to avoid it. Such an unexpected move throws me off balance and I narrowly manage to avoid another thrust right at my head! I regroup just to get my wits. Despite Mr. Albino Scarecrow’s rather brutal strike, he doesn’t go on the offensive even though he has a moment of opportunity. His expression is stoic but it’s clear he’s watching me, studying me. Something tells me if I don’t act, he may once he figures me out.

Compared to my one-handed straight sword his spear is long and has reach. But unlike my blade it’s only dangerous on the tip. If I can get inside his range before the spearhead gets me I can probably do this. Funny, I’m already getting an idea of how to fight different types of opponents. This sparring was a good idea.

Diving back in, I go low, ducking down to attack his legs. He thrusts down at me and I take that moment to jump. Not believing this is working, my feet land on the end of his spear, forcing the head into the ground and pinning it under my weight. With what I hope looks like a cool pose, I point my sword at Kakashi’s throat. He shows no reaction on his face at first but his concentrated frown slowly rises into a tiny smile.

I step off his spear and he puts it away, reaching his left hand out to shake. Another lefty? Awkwardly, I reach out to shake with my own left hand.

After those displays, people are impressed. I end up sparring against my future raid crew for most of the night.

* * *

December 4rd, 2022, 11:00

I meet with the raid crew at 8am and we head into the forest to get to the boss’s lair. My Party is hanging back, though I’m a few steps behind Kirito and Asuna, who are walking side by side. Kakashi is by my side, but only part of the time. He keeps stopping to stare at something, then runs to catch up. I also notice he keeps knocking on trees. Weird.

“Let’s go over it again,” Kirito begins. Seems he’s the defacto leader of our Party. I have no problems with this. Less responsibility for me. “We’re the backup, so our target’s going to be the boss’s minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels.”

“I know,” Asuna replies.

“Zen and I use slashing weapons, so we’ll use a Sword Skill to knock their weapons up and out of the way. Since you and Kakashi have thrusting weapons, Switch and jump in when we do it.”

“What’s a Switch?”

Kirito has a similar reaction to me. He turns to give Asuna a surprised look. “Okay, level with me. Is this the first time you’ve ever been in a Party?”

She nods. “Uh-huh.”

Kirito stops walking, likely because he realizes we’re dealing with a noob. It takes Asuna a few moments to realize our Party leader isn’t following her anymore, turning to watch as his shoulders slump in defeat.

I turn to glance at Kakashi at this point, seeing the guy is uprooting a patch of grass growing beside the forest path and giving it a sniff. If these are the people in our Party, I’m starting to have doubts.

* * *

The Labyrinth

After fighting our way to the top of the First Floor’s Labyrinth, we arrive at about 12:30. Diavel stands in front of the door to the boss’s lair and plants his sword in the ground. Seems he’s planning a rousing speech.

“Listen up, everyone. I’ve only got one thing to say to you.” Our fearless leader clenches his fist in determination. “Let’s win!” Inspiring words. "That's enough from me. Any questions?" Kirito raises his hand. "Please ask."

"Just one. In the case that a situation different than what's written in the beta tester's guidebook occurs, what'll we do?" The blue-clad swordsman asks. "Diavel, as our leader, will you give us the signal to withdraw?"

The blue-haired knight smiles at Kirito, the torchlight casting flickering shadows on his face. "Of course. Our lives are of the highest priority. I won't let you guys die."

Kibaou growls from his spot in the crowd. "You don't need to listen to him, Diavel. These guys don't realize your amazing commanding skills. They're being anxious for no reason."

Diavel takes Kibaou's blatant praise in stride. "Thank you for your confidence in me! However if I wasn't in this raid group I'd definitely be feeling anxious, too. I believe we've gathered the best members anyone could ever hope for. Let's win together!"

As Diavel turns to open the door, I decide to choose to put Parry in my third Skill Slot. Kirito expects me to use Sword Skills and deflect blows. Don’t wanna let him down and Parry should help with the latter. If I’m not sure, I can just replace it after the boss fight.

The door slowly swings open from just a single push, likely due to game mechanics. “C’mon! Let's proceed!” Diavel announces, leading us down a long, dark hall.

I glance over at Asuna. Aside from her red hooded cloak, I can’t get a very good look at her. She’s definitely a girl and I can see glimpses of orange-brownish hair every so often. She normally keeps her head down.

At the end of the dark hall is the Floor One boss, sitting on a throne. He gazes up at us, his eyes glowing red. A light fills the hall as the red-skinned monster grabs the axe and buckler sitting at his side and jumps from his throne, landing before us and giving a roar.

I remember this guy from the beta. He looks the same. Tubby, but don’t let his girth fool you. He’s surprisingly spry for his body mass index. Above him, under a red icon, his name appears.

**Illfang the Kobold Lord**

On cue, his minions spawn. Smaller red kobolds in suits of armor, carrying maces. The Ruin Kobold Sentinels. They’re actually stronger versions of the Ruin Kobold Troopers we fought on the nineteen floors of this labyrinth we passed to get to Illfang’s throne room on the 20th floor. Come to think of it, I’m pretty close to Level Twelve from having fought them on the way up here.

Illfang and his three minions charge at us. Diavel points his sword forward and shouts “Commence... attack!”

The raid crew rushes forward. Diavel actually assigned different roles to the different Parties of six.

Group A is a heavy armor tank Party, led by a guy with a hammer and Iron Heater Shield. He’s actually the second guy I sparred with last night.

Group B is also a another tanker Party, led by Agil with his double-bladed axe.

Group C is a high movement assault Party, led by our leader and commander, Diavel.

Group D is another high movement assault Party, led by the guy with the two-handed straight sword I sparred with first last night.

Group E is yet another high movement assault Party, led by Kibaou. I guess being willing to swallow his pride and apologize to Diavel for his outburst in the meeting must have impressed him.

Groups F and G are both long-weapon support parties, composed mostly of spear users and players who prefer throwing blades.

Group H is Kirito, Asuna, Kakashi, and me. Our role is supporting Group E.

We figured that the information in the guidebook was sufficient enough, so we didn’t perform any preliminary scouting raids.

The two tank Parties are to keep the attention of and sustain the pressure of the boss. Assault Parties C and D are to concentrate on dealing damage to the boss, while Group E focuses their attention on the minions, using Group H (us) as buffers and clean-up. Group F and G are to keep their distance and use the Delay status effect to interrupt either the boss’s or minions’ attacks and relieve pressure whenever possible. In general, we’re all relying heavily on a “Switch and Pot” strategy, making sure any player who gets injured can be tagged out with a Switch until they can drink a Potion and get back in the fray.

The raid crew charges forward, Kibaou running ahead of the assault and locking his blade with one of the Ruin Kobold Sentinels’ maces, both weapons glowing from the use of Sword Skills.

My Party gets into the thick of it, surrounding Group E. Kirito and I use Sword Skills to knock the enemies back while Asuna and Kakashi finish them off. The minions will keep respawning until the Boss’s fourth and final HP bar is depleted enough to turn red but at least I’m getting some good EXP from it.

“Squads A and C, Switch in! Here it comes! Squad B, block! Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to Switch! Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank them! Squads E, D, and F, keep those minions off us!” I’m impressed. Diavel seems a natural with logistics. Even Kirito seems to be into following his orders. With an upward slash, he sends the minion back. “Switch!”

“I’m on it!” Asuna runs forward, her rapier glowing green with a Sword Skill. A quick thrusting combo and the minion bursts into data. Huh, so she’s not a noob after all. In fact, isn’t that Rapier a rare enemy drop?

On my end, I cut a minion back, pointing at it and shouting “Switch!” to Kakashi. I’m starting to realize the guy responds better to actions than words.

Kakashi runs in, showing similar, if not quite as precise, skill to Asuna. To my surprise his spear glows red and he launches a series of thrusts that pummel the Ruin Kobold Sentinel, bursting into data before it even hits the ground. For a guy with nothing but ratty starting equipment, I wasn’t expecting him to have such a good grasp of spear Sword Skills. Compared to Asuna, Kirito, and I, I can’t help thinking his long-reach weapon gives him at least some defense against potential counterattacks. Still though, I don’t think he’s as high a Level as me. Maybe Level Nine or so. Kirito, though, is probably stronger than me, Level Thirteen at the least. Even without the two Levels he has on me, he more than surpasses my top-of-the-line store-bought Iron Sword with his Anneal Blade.

More Kobolds spawn. Kirito gives a diagonal slash to deflect one just as it’s landing on him. “Switch!” Kakashi lunges in. With his spear glowing bright orange he skewers the minion through the head. Dang, I think we’re getting some good teamwork going here.

I notice the minions stop spawning as Illfang roars. Turning, I see he’s down to just one HP bar and it’s depleted enough to turn red. He tosses away his axe and buckler in a rage, hitting the ground a few feet away with some heavy thuds.

“Looks like the guidebook was right,” Kibaou states confidently. Most of the raid crew has stopped to catch a breather while Illfang engages his weapon change, knowing we just about have this down.

“Stand back! I got it!” Diavel dashes forward while Illfang is still switching his weapons, his sword and shield drawn and at the ready.

Odd, that wasn’t the plan. Weren’t we gonna surround it at this point because we didn’t have to worry about mopping up minions anymore? Diavel stops to charge a Sword Skill, his blade glowing with a bright golden light. Only now do I notice that the weapon Illfang is drawing sure doesn’t look like a talwar. It looks almost like a nodachi.

“Wait, stop!” I hear Kirito yell as he mops up a straggling sentinel. “It’s no good! Get out of there!”

Diavel realizes too late as Illfang jumps up and bounds off the walls like a pinball. His tactics change must have given him a speed buff. The boss lands right on top of Diavel, dealing a deep pixelated gash across our noble commander’s chest. As leader soars through the air, Illfang zooms right past him, dealing another no doubt fatal slash before he even hits the ground.

“Diavel, no!” Kibaou yells. Illfang appears right behind him and the rest of his group, roaring at him.

Kirito runs for the fallen Diavel, calling his name. This is bad. Our leader is down and the boss is using tactics I certainly don’t remember from the beta.

The boss seems to be going for Group E but I run forward and lock my blade with him. I'm joined in my blade-locking by, to my surprise, Kakashi. His hands are shaking in what I assume to be pure determination as he blocks Illfang's blade with the shaft of his spear. His eyes are even screwed up in rage at the boss for striking down our leader.

“Heh! Ya know, I think this might be the first time I’ve ever seen you actually know what’s going on Kakashi, let alone show any emotion,” I quip to the albino spearman next to me. What he says next shocks me.

“Suiran wo zou zai siwang de yougu... ye bupa zao hai!”

I... what? I’m dumbfounded and not because it’s the first words I’ve ever heard him say. It’s because I can’t understand them! Was that...

“Wait, was that Chinese? Kakashi, do you not speak Japanese?” I think about all the text in this game written in English. “Or English?”

His eyes become wet with angry tears as he glares at the boss, merely nodding at my shocked inquiry. I can only assume he knows just enough Japanese to get the gist of what others are saying, but... does this guy really not know a word anyone or anything in this game says? Did he just wander into this boss raid by complete mistake? And yet he’s going to try and avenge a guy he barely knows and can’t understand?

Kakashi and I manage to force the boss away from Group E just in time to turn and see Diavel burst into data in Kirito’s arms. I’ve known this was a death game the entire time and while I’ve heard about the two thousand player deaths so far, I’ve never actually seen a player die in front of me before. I... guess you could say it’s a pretty sobering experience. I’ve been pretty focused on preventing my own death, I never really considered the lives of other players who only want to help others. And here’s Kakashi, screaming out a string of what I have to assume are Chinese cuss words as our fearless commander dies before our eyes.

Kirito stands up, turning towards the roaring boss with a focused expression. As I sling my sword over my shoulder and walk toward the guy, Asuna joins his side. “I’ll go too,” she assures him.

“Don’t leave me out, Blue,” I tell him, giving him what I hope is a confident smirk. We’re soon joined by Kakashi, his spear at the ready and his tears dried up. The same stoic expression as usual is on his face, but I can’t help thinking his eyebrows are furrowed in concentration more than usual.

Kirito nods, giving us a small smile. “Okay.”

On a silent cue, all four of us charge Illfang the Kobold Lord. “We’ll hit ‘em just like we did the minions,” he explains as we run.

“Switch and Pot?” I ask, grinning.

“You got it,” Asuna confirms.

Kakashi merely nods. I think he gets the gist.

Illfang seems to notice we’re all about to four-on-one his ass. He's holding his Nodachi at his side, glowing white for a Sword Skill. Crud, Illfang didn’t have any Sword Skills in his second phase in the beta. Kirito holds his sword back, glowing blue with his own Sword Skill. He charges forward with a battle cry and parries the boss’s blow.

“Switch!” Kirito cries as he flies back from the recoil of his own Parry.

Asuna jumps in, her rapier glowing purple. Illfang seems to be getting his speed buff’s second wind, though. “Asuna!” Kirito calls out.

She ducks, the boss’s counterattack parried by Kakashi, his spear glowing orange as he dives in and pushes the boss’s blade out of the way with a thrust. The hooked end of the nodachi catches her cloak, shredding it and revealing her long chestnut hair with a braid around the back of her head. The rapier-wielder re-initiates her Sword Skill, glowing purple as she gives a solid thrust at the boss, sending him flying. “Hyah!” Damn.  


“He’s coming back!” At Kirito’s warning, I jump in and parry Illfang’s blow, giving Kirito time to ready a Sword Skill and slash at the boss’s back. Asuna Switches in and lands a light blue thrust combo, while Kakashi takes the opportunity to parry the boss’s next blow.

Kirito switches back in with Kakashi, his sword glowing blue for another Sword Skill. Illfang’s own nodachi glows violet and before we can react, he sends a cut across the blue swordsman’s chest. He’s knocked back and lands right into Asuna. His HP falls, but stops before it can get into the red. Kakashi seems to be accessing his inventory so I cover him, but the boss doesn’t head for us. Instead Illfang is going to finish off Kirito. I’m about to lunge forward but with a baritone roar and a swing of a glowing green axe, Agil parries the boss’s downward violet chop.

Illfang recovers fast and lands in a crouch but the rest of the raid crew run forward to meet him. I rush to Kirito’s side, Kakashi tossing me one of his Potions while he holds his spear over his shoulder to ready some kind of Sword Skill. I give him a nod, which he returns.

“We can hold this bastard off until your health’s back up,” Agil assures Kirito as I kneel next to my Party leader and uncork the Potion.

“You got it,” Kirito assures the axeman. Asuna takes the Potion from me and holds it to the blue swordsman’s lips.

Agil, Kibaou, and the rest of the raid crew tangle with Illfang, generally getting knocked around and their HP falling by the second. So far, no one’s died. I turn to see Kakashi’s spear glowing with a blinding golden light, about to use what’s no doubt a powerful Sword Skill. With a roar, he does what I really don’t expect. He throws it like a javelin.

The spear soars through the air like a beam of golden light but Illfang easily deflects what’s probably Kakashi’s trump card. Not a good sign. The deflected weapon embeds itself into the ceiling. Uh-oh... That’s gonna return to Kakashi any second now, right? Right?

Illfang charges for the spearman and I know what’s coming. I sprint forward to try and stop it but with his agility boost, the boss is too fast. My heart sinks as the Chinese albino is skewered right through his chest, lifted, and tossed aside like a rag doll.

I run to kneel at his side and see his HP falling by the second, showing no sign of stopping. I don’t want to see another person die but I don’t think I have time to pull a Potion out of my inventory. This boss needs to go down before we lose anyone else. I try to think of the word for goodbye in Chinese. My face grim, I look down at Kakashi’s shocked face and say only “Zai Jian...”

I know it’s not technically goodbye. It’s ‘see you again,’ but it’s the only Chinese farewell I can think of and the most basic. Kakashi merely nods, saying “Wo bu de bu shuo zai jian le...” I don’t know what it means but his forced smile implies to me he’s trying to go for a cool death. His HP has hit red and I turn around before I can see him burst into data.

I run forward to see Illfang leaping into the air, his nodachi glowing violet.

“Watch out!” Kirito seems to have recovered by now, holding his sword behind his back as it glows light blue. “You’re going down!” He roars as he jumps upward to meet Illfang and cut his torso.

The boss falls to the ground and I’m almost tempted to whistle at how impressive that was.

Kirito falls into a roll and jumps to his feet just as I catch up to him. As we run, he gives me a glance that clearly says ‘Where’s Kakashi?’ and the grim face I give him speaks volumes. He gives me a quick look of condolence before focusing on the task at hand. I don’t blame him.

“C’mon, Asuna, help me and Zen beat this sucker! One last attack!”

“You got it!” The fencer replies, joining Kirito’s opposite side.

Illfang is pulling himself to his feet from the devastating blow Kirito dealt him, growling at us. He raises his nodachi, glowing violet again. As he brings it down in a chop, I parry the blow with a green Sword Skill. Asuna takes that moment to tenderize the boss with a light blue thrust combo. Knowing our leader has this, we dive to either side as he uses a blue diagonal chop across the boss’s torso.

As Illfang is knocked upward, Kirito lowers his sword to his ankle and readies another blue Sword Skill. With a warrior’s roar he slashes the sword up through the Kobold Lord’s torso, completely cleaving him. The boss soars into the air before stopping, glowing with a blinding blue light before bursting into a shower of pixels.

The entire room is silent, everyone staring in awe. Even I'm stunned. Huge white words appear in the air above us.

**Congratulations**

As the realization sets in that we’ve won, the entire raid party breaks out into massive cheers. I breathe a sigh of relief. I guess we deserve to celebrate. I turn to look at where Kakashi was, seeing he’s gone. Looking up, his spear is still embedded in the ceiling. Yikes, that’s gonna be hard to retrieve. Before I can grieve for the poor guy, I glow gold, realizing that fighting the Sentinels and helping against the Kobold Lord gave me enough EXP to Level Up. I'm at Level 12 now, which opens up a fourth Skill Slot. Shrugging, I choose Searching. Knowledge is probably gonna be an important part of staying alive from now on. I’ll keep Parry for now, too. It was pretty useful against Illfang. I also put two of my Stat Points into AGI and one into STR. I’m keeping them fairly even, but I usually keep AGI somewhat in the lead. I like being fast since... well, I’m not very fast in the real world, if you get my meaning.

Asuna and Agil walk up to where Kirito is still crouched, catching his breath. I join them, noticing he got the Last-Attack Bonus. Coat of Midnight, huh?

“Nice job,” the fencer tells him.

“That was some fine swordsmanship. Congratulations. Today’s victory is all thanks to you,” Agil explains.

"Those were some smooth moves." I've gotta chip in, or I'll feel left out.

Kirito is about to deny it, but all he gets out is a “No...” before everyone cheers. I admit, I feel the need to clap with them and I even give Kirito that whistle I owed him from earlier.

“Stop cheering!” It was Kibaou. We all turn to look at him. “Why’d you do it, huh? Why’d you let Diavel die?”

“Let him die?” Kirito asks, clearly confused.

Kibaou is sitting on the floor pretzel style, gazing up at Kirito with some tears in his eyes. “That’s what I said! Admit it! You knew the technique the boss was gonna use! You could’ve told us! Then Diavel would’ve stood a chance! He wouldn’t have had to die!”

The crowd mulls about for a bit, not sure what to think. I’m a bit confused myself, though I’m holding my tongue for now.

“I know why he knew!” A guy with a spear on his back points accusingly. “He used to be a beta tester! Think about it! He knew the boss’s attack patterns! He knew, but he kept it from us! And... I bet he’s not the only beta tester here! C’mon, show yourselves!”

Crud. I’m certainly not saying I’m a beta tester now. Might as well take off my armor and ask that no one attack me while I slip into my red shirt.

“Hey, calm down.” Agil tries to mediate the situation, but we all stop as Kirito begins laughing. When we turn to look at him, his laughter has begun to rise into outright cackling.

“You guys think I used to be a beta tester?” He asks as he rises into a standing position. “It’s not cool to put me in the same class as those noobs.”

“What’d you say?” Kibaou growls.

“You heard me,” Kirito continues, walking into the crowd. “Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO’s beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn’t even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys were better than they were. But me? I’m nothin’ like those guys, man.”

He walks out of the crowd, stopping to plant one hand on his hip. “During the beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That’s a fact. I knew about the boss because I fought tons of Monsters with way more Sword Skills on higher Floors.”

He lowers his gaze to glare at Kibaou and Group E. “I know a bunch of other things, too. More than you can imagine. More than any beta tester.”

“Wh... What the hell?” Kibaou doesn’t even seem to know what to think. “If that’s true, then you’re worse than a beta tester...” His hands clench into fists. “You’re a goddamn cheater, that’s what you are!”

Everyone begins to shout beta and cheater at Kirito. After a bit, the two words seemed to muddle together into one.

“A beater? Yeah, that’s good. I like it,” Kirito says, seeming quite pleased with the term. He pulls up his interface and goes to equipment. “Okay. You can call me a Beater. Just make sure you don’t confuse me with those beta testers anymore.”

Using his menu, Kirito equips the Last Attack Bonus Item he got from the boss. The Coat of Midnight flutters as it settles over his light armor. He turns to smirk and chuckle at the players gathered around before turning to walk away. Asuna is the only one to run after him. Me? I slink away out of the crowd. I manage to meet Kirito right at the entrance to the staircase to the Second Floor, after he’s done having a chat with Asuna.

“Hey. Kirito.” He stops, but doesn’t look at me. “You say you reached floors higher than any other beta tester, right? See, funny thing about that is... The highest floor any beta tester reached was the Tenth Floor. I know for a fact that you weren’t the only one to do it... because I did too, along with plenty others.”

Kirito still doesn’t look at me. “So you were a beta tester too, Zen?” He asks me.

I nod. “Yeah. So tell me. Why are you lying? I don’t see what you’re gaining from this besides a target on your back.”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he walks off, heading to the Second Floor. I sigh. Diavel, Kakashi, now him. Seems that this is a game you just can’t make friends in. They’ll either die or pull something. Right here and now, I’m deciding to stick solo. That way I don’t have to see anyone die or betray me.

Let’s see, I’m Level Twelve, my equipment is the best you can get from the First Floor stores and has been enhanced to the first floor's limit. Next is the Second Floor, right? If I remember from the beta that was... a savannah floor. Damn. I'm gonna head back to the First Floor to restock on Potions and get my equipment repaired, then I'm exploring the Second Floor. Hope I don’t run into any lions and hyenas who tell me to be prepared in off-tempo singing and dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **T/L Note:** If you're curious why Zen found Kakashi's username fitting... "Kakashi" is Japanese for "scarecrow."


End file.
